Systems And Techniques For Evaluating Performance Of Actuator Systems Of A Patient Support Apparatus

ABSTRACT

A patient support apparatus comprises a support structure comprising a base and a patient support surface to support a patient. An actuator system facilitates movement of the patient support surface relative to a floor surface. One or more sensors are responsive to changes in position of the patient support surface caused by the actuator system. A controller is operably coupled to the one or more sensors and the actuator system. The controller is configured to operate the actuator system to move the patient support surface and to monitor the movement of the patient support surface by sensing positions of the patient support surface over time. The controller is further configured to identify a frictional load event on the actuator system during movement in a present cycle and associate the frictional load event with a sensed position of the patient support surface in the present cycle.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The subject patent application claims priority to and all the benefitsof U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/712,331 filed on Jul. 31,2018, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in itsentirety.

BACKGROUND

Patient support apparatuses, such as hospital beds, stretchers, cots,tables, wheelchairs, and chairs facilitate care and transportation ofpatients. Conventional patient support apparatuses comprise a base and alitter comprising a patient support surface upon which the patient issupported. The litter usually comprises several articulating sections,such as a back section and a foot section to facilitate care of thepatient. Furthermore, the patient support surface may be adjusted (e.g.,raised, lowered, articulated) between a variety of positions to allowfor care and/or transportation of the patient.

Traditionally, one or more powered actuator systems are employed toadjust positions of the patient support surface by moving variouscomponents relative to each other, such as through sliding orarticulating joints. When the patient support apparatus is relativelynew, these joints may be efficient and allow smooth sliding and/orarticulation of the various components at these joints. However, overtime, the joints are susceptible to irregular wear, collect debris,build up residue, and may otherwise cause increases in frictional loadson the actuator systems. Operation of the actuator systems is adverselyaffected by these increases in frictional loads.

Therefore, a patient support apparatus designed to overcome one or moreof the aforementioned challenges is desired.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Advantages of the present disclosure will be readily appreciated as thesame becomes better understood by reference to the following detaileddescription when considered in connection with the accompanying drawingswherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a patient support apparatus with anactuator system.

FIG. 2A is a side view of the patient support apparatus of FIG. 1 in anelevated position.

FIG. 2B is a side view of the patient support apparatus of FIG. 1 in alowered position.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a control system.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a closed loop feedback arrangement forthe control system.

FIG. 5 illustrates a comparison of desired and actual values for amovement parameter over time to determine and log errors associated withfrictional load events on the actuator system.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart of steps taken to detect errors associated withthe frictional load events.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart of steps taken to manage the errors detected.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart of steps taken to adjust operation of theactuator system based on the errors detected.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart of basic steps taken to identify frictional loadsin the actuator system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIGS. 1-2B, a patient support apparatus 10 is shown forsupporting a patient in a health care and/or transportation setting. Thepatient support apparatus 10 illustrated in FIGS. 1-2B comprises a cot.In other embodiments, however, the patient support apparatus 10 maycomprise a hospital bed, stretcher, table, wheelchair, chair, or similarapparatus utilized in the care of a patient.

The patient support apparatus 10 comprises a support structure toprovide support for the patient. The support structure comprises a basehaving a base frame 11. The base frame 11 may comprise longitudinallyextending frame members 12 and crosswise extending frame members 13interconnected at the ends thereof to the frame members 12 to form arectangle. A plurality of caster wheels 20 are operatively connectedproximate each corner of the rectangular shaped base frame 11 formed bythe frame members 12 and 13.

The support structure further comprises a litter 16 comprising a litterframe 17. The litter 16 comprises a patient support deck having apatient support surface 14 configured to support a patient. The litterframe 17 may comprise hollow side rails 66 that extend longitudinallyalong the patient support surface 14. The patient support surface 14 maybe comprised of one or more articulating sections, for example, a backsection 15, a seat section, and a foot section 25, to facilitate careand/or transportation of the patient. The litter 16 may further compriseloading wheels 30 extending from the litter frame 17 proximate the backsection 15 to facilitate loading and unloading of the patient supportapparatus 10 from a vehicle. For example, the loading wheels 30 may bepositioned and configured to facilitate loading and unloading of thepatient support apparatus 10 into an ambulance.

Hand rails 31 may extend on opposing sides of the litter frame 17 toprovide egress barriers for the patient on the patient support surface14. The hand rails 31 may also be utilized by an individual, such as anemergency medical technician (EMT) or other medical professional, tomove or manipulate the patient support apparatus 10. The hand rails 31may comprise a hinge, pivot or similar mechanism to allow the rails 31to be folded or stored at or below the plane of the patient supportsurface 14. A vertical support member 34 (see FIG. 2A) may also beattached to the litter frame 17. The vertical support member 34 may beconfigured to hold a medical device or medication delivery system, suchas a bag of fluid to be administered via an IV. The vertical supportmember 34 may also be configured for the operator of the patient supportapparatus 10 to push or pull on the vertical support member 34 tomanipulate or move the patient support apparatus 10.

A lift mechanism 18 may be configured to interconnect the base frame 11and the litter 16 to facilitate raising and lowering of the patientsupport surface 14 relative to a floor surface. The lift mechanism 18may be manipulated to adjust the height of the litter 16 to a maximumheight (see, e.g., FIG. 2A), a minimum height (see, e.g., FIG. 2B), orany intermediate height in between the maximum and minimum heights.

The lift mechanism 18 may comprise a pair of side-by-side oriented “X”frames 19 and 21. The X frame 19 comprises a pair of X frame members 22and 23 interconnected together proximate their midpoints by means of apivot axle 24. Each of the X frame members 22 and 23 is hollow andtelescopingly receives therein a further X frame member 26 and an Xframe member 27, respectively. The further X frame members 26 and 27 aresupported for movement into and out of the respective X frame members 22and 23. The distal end of the further X frame member 26 is secured via aconnection 28 to the cross rail 13 at a foot end of the base frameillustrated in FIG. 1 whereas the distal end of the further X framemember 27 is connected via a connection 29 to the cross rail 13 at ahead end of the base frame 11.

The X frame 21 is similarly constructed and comprises a pair of X framemembers 32 and 33 which are interconnected proximate their midpoints bythe axle 24. While the axle 24 is illustrated to extend laterallybetween the X frames 19 and 21, it is to be understood that separateaxles 24 can, if desired, be employed. The X frame members 32 and 33 arehollow and telescopingly receive therein a further X frame member 36telescopingly received in the X frame member 32 whereas a further Xframe member 37 is telescopingly received in the X frame member 33. Thedistal end of the further X frame member 36 is connected via a connector38 to the cross rail 13 at the foot end of the base frame 11 and thedistal end of the further X frame member 37 is connected via a connector39 to the cross rail 13 at the head end of the base frame 11. The Xframe members 22, 26 extend parallel to the X frame members 32, 36whereas the X frame members 23, 27 extend parallel to the X framemembers 33, 37. While the patient support apparatus 10 illustratedthroughout the drawings comprises a support structure with an X frame19, 21, it is also contemplated that a patient support apparatus 10 maycomprise a support structure and base frame 11 with a pair of front andrear folding leg members, or any other suitable structure to support thepatient support surface 14 for movement.

The proximal ends P of the opposing X frame members 23 and 33 areslidably engaged with brackets 68 (only one shown on one side) attachedto the underside of the side rails 66 of the litter frame 17. Eachbracket 68 comprises a slot or track 63 configured to allow the proximalend P to travel along the track 63 as the lift mechanism 18 ismanipulated to raise and/or lower the litter 16. The configuration orshape of the track 63 may be configured to orient the litter 16 at aparticular angle as the lift mechanism 18 is raised and/or lowered. Forexample, the track 63 may be configured to be straight, or it maycomprise one or more bends or curves, creating an S-like shape. Theshape of track 63 may be configured to keep the litter 16 approximatelylevel as the litter 16 is raised or lowered between the maximum andminimum heights. The track 63 may also be configured to tilt or anglethe patient support surface 14 of the litter 16 so that either the heador leg end of the litter 16 is elevated relative to the opposing end ofthe litter 16 at various heights. For example, the track 63 may beconfigured to elevate the head end of the patient support surface 14when raised to the maximum height to assist in loading and unloading thepatient support apparatus 10 in a vehicle.

The lift mechanism 18 may further comprise an actuator system comprisingone or more actuators 53, as illustrated in FIG. 1, configured tomanipulate the pair of X frames 19, 21 to raise and lower the litter 16and associated patient support surface 14 relative to the floor surface.The actuators 53 may comprise linear actuators 53. Such a lift mechanismand associated linear actuators are described in U.S. Pat. No.7,398,571, filed on Jun. 30, 2005, entitled, “Ambulance Cot andHydraulic Elevating Mechanism Therefor,” the disclosure of which ishereby incorporated by reference.

The actuator 53, in the embodiment shown, operates to raise and lowerthe patient support surface 14 in the manner shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B.Notably, during this movement many components of the patient supportapparatus 10 are moving relative to each other via joints, such assliding and/or pivoting joints. For example, the X-frame members 26, 36and 27, 37 are connected to the X-frame members 22, 32 and 23, 33 viasliding joints, the proximal ends P of the opposing X frame members 23and 33 are sliding/rotating along tracks 63, the X-frame 19, 21 ispivoting about a pivot joint at axle 24, the X-frame members 22, 32 arepivoting about pivot joints connected to the litter 16, and so on. Eachof these joints is susceptible to unexpected frictional loads over timethat may be associated with irregular wear at the joints, debris beingtrapped in the joints, damaged joints, and the like. Such frictionalloads may adversely affect operation of the lift mechanism 18 such thatthe actuator 53 operates inefficiently, e.g., raising and/or lowering ofthe patient support surface 14 is slower than desired.

The patient support apparatus 10 may comprise other devices that utilizeactuators systems to move other components of the patient supportapparatus. For example, as shown schematically in FIG. 3, the patientsupport apparatus 10 may comprise a deck adjustment device to articulateone or more sections of the patient support deck, a bed width extensiondevice to adjust a width of the patient support surface, and a bedlength extension device to adjust a length of the patient supportsurface. Each of these devices may utilize one or more actuators tocarry out their associated movements, and much like the lift mechanism18, may operate via one or more joints, that could also be susceptibleto unexpected frictional loads over time.

Still referring to FIG. 3, the patient support apparatus 10 comprises acontrol system configured to identify unexpected frictional loads thatmay affect operation of the actuator systems. The control systemoperates to identify such frictional loads, associate the frictionalloads with a position of the patient support surface 14, and compensatefor the frictional loads by adjusting operation of the one or moreactuator systems, as described below. It should be appreciated that thedescription below focuses on the actuator system comprising the actuator53 used to raise and lower the patient support surface 14, but isequally applicable to any other actuator system that may be employed ona patient support apparatus.

As shown in FIG. 3, the control system comprises a controller 70 coupledto the lift mechanism 18. A user input device 82 is coupled to thecontroller 70 to trigger operation of the actuator 53 to raise and lowerthe patient support surface 14. The controller 70 may comprise memoryconfigured to store data, information, and/or programs to run theroutines described below. The controller 70 is operably coupled to andconfigured to actuate the actuator 53 of the lift mechanism 18 to raiseand lower the patient support surface 14 relative to the floor surface,through any suitable control methodology, such as via pulse widthmodulation (PWM). The user input device 82 comprises buttons 84, 86 thatmay be configured to send a signal or instructions to the controller 70to manipulate the lift mechanism 18. For example, the user input device82 may comprise a plus (+) button 86 and a minus (−) button 84, whereinthe controller 70 will receive a signal to raise the patient supportsurface 14 when the user presses the plus (+) button 86 or a signal tolower the patient support surface 14 when the user presses the minus (−)button 84. The user input device 82 may also comprise additional buttonsconfigured to manipulate the patient support surface 14. In someembodiments, a second user input device may be coupled to the controller70 (either by wire or wirelessly) to control the other powered devicesof the patient support apparatus 10 described above. The user inputdevices may comprise any suitable user input device, such as atouchscreen with buttons (virtual), gesture-based controls, motionsensors, piezo-electric devices, foot pedals, and the like.

The controller 70 has one or more microprocessors, microcontrollers,field programmable gate arrays, systems on a chip, discrete circuitry,and/or other suitable hardware, software, or firmware that is capable ofcarrying out the functions described herein. The controller 70 may becarried on-board the patient support apparatus 10 (as shown), or may beremotely located. Power to the actuator system and/or the controller 70may be provided by a battery power supply and/or an external powersource. The controller 70 is operably coupled to the actuator system ina manner that allows the controller 70 to control the actuator 53. Thecontroller 70 may communicate with the actuator system via wired orwireless connections to perform one of more desired functions.

The patient support apparatus 10 may further comprise one or moresensors S, S′, S″ operably coupled to the controller 70. The sensors maybe optical sensors, ultrasonic sensors, laser sensors, proximitysensors, pressure sensors, load cells, encoders, potentiometers, and/orother suitable sensors for carrying out the functions described herein.The sensors may be configured to detect a plurality of parametersrelated to the configuration or position of the patient supportapparatus 10, and to communicate with the controller 70. The sensors andthe controller 70 may be configured to determine information used togenerate control commands (command signals) to manipulate the patientsupport apparatus 10 based on a predefined set of rules and/oralgorithms for interpreting signals from the sensors. The informationmay be stored in the controller 70 memory.

One or more of the sensors S, S′, S″ may be coupled to the litter 16,base 11, actuator 53, or any other suitable location on the patientsupport apparatus 10 to measure a position of the patient supportsurface 14. For example, a laser sensor or optical sensor may beattached to the underside of the litter 16 and configured todetect/measure the distance between the litter 16 and the floor surface.The distance measured by the sensor may be communicated to thecontroller 70 and/or determined by the controller 70. Alternatively, theposition of the patient support surface 14 may be determined by a Halleffect sensor that is coupled to the actuator 53, wherein the sensormeasures how far the actuator 53 has been actuated, such as by measuringrotations of a motor of the actuator 53. The one or more sensors areresponsive to changes in position of the patient support surface 14caused by the one or more actuator systems such that the controller 70may be configured to directly or indirectly determine the position ofthe patient support surface 14. For example, the position of the patientsupport surface 14 may be associated with changes in position of anycomponent that changes position during operation of an actuator system.Accordingly, the changes in position of such components can beconsidered to be changes in position of the patient support surface 14.

In some embodiments, one or more sensors S, S′, S″ may be placed in,along, and/or adjacent to one or more of the tracks 63 to detect aposition of one or more of the proximal ends P (e.g., sliders) of theframe members 23, 33 sliding along the tracks 63 wherein the controller70 is configured to indirectly determine the position of the patientsupport surface 14 based on the positions of the proximal ends P in thetracks 63. The one or more sensors S, S′, S″ could be linearpotentiometers, Hall effect sensors, ultrasonic sensors, and the like.One example of an arrangement of Hall effect sensors in the track isdescribed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,398,571, filed on Jun. 30, 2005, entitled,“Ambulance Cot and Hydraulic Elevating Mechanism Therefor,” thedisclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. In someversions, two, three, four, five, or more Hall effect sensors could beplaced in the track to indicate discrete positions of the slider in thetrack, which is tied to discrete height settings, e.g., low, mid1, mid2,mid3, mid 4, mid5 . . . high, etc. In this case, the controller 70 maybe able to detect frictional loads at each of the correspondingpositions of the patient support surface 14 (e.g., low, mid1, mid2,mid3, mid4, mid5 . . . high, etc.) in a first cycle of operation, withthe controller 70 being able to adjust operation of the actuator 53 tocompensate for such frictional loads detected at the same positions in anext cycle of operation, as described in more detail below. Anotherexample of a sensor that may be placed in the track 63 is amagnetostrictive sensor disposed in the track 63 to sense a magnetcoupled to the sliders sliding in the track 63, as disclosed in U.S.patent application Ser. No. 16/271,117, filed on Feb. 9, 2018, entitled“Techniques for Determining a Pose of a Patient Transport Apparatus,”which is hereby incorporated by reference. The sensor effectively sensespositions of the patient support surface 14 over time by detectingmovement of the sliders in the track 63.

The one or more sensors S, S′, S″ may also comprise feedback sensorscoupled to the controller 70 and employed by the controller 70 tomeasure actual, current values of one or more movement parametersassociated with movement of the patient support surface 14, such asposition, speed, acceleration, current, voltage, or the like. Forexample, the feedback sensors S″ may be arranged to measure rotationalspeed (e.g., RPM) of a motor of the actuator 53, actuation rate of theactuator 53, electrical current supplied to the actuator 53, suppliedvoltage, and the like.

Referring to FIG. 4, a control loop is shown that employs one of thefeedback sensors to control operation of the actuator system. In eachiteration of the control loop, the controller 70 senses an instant value(e.g., measured output) of the one or more movement parameters (e.g.,motor RPM) and compares the current value to a desired value todetermine (e.g., calculate) an error between the current value and thedesired value. If the controller 70 finds that the error is within anallowable error threshold, e.g., at or below an acceptable error valueor within a range of acceptable error values, then the actuator systemis working as expected. However, if the error is found by the controller70 to be outside the allowable error threshold (e.g., exceed theacceptable error threshold or be outside of the range of acceptableerror thresholds), then a frictional load event has occurred. Thecontroller 70 thereby identifies the frictional load event based on theerror and associates the frictional load event with the sensed positionof the patient support surface 14 in the manner described below.

In some versions, the control loop may be capable of being switchedduring use to operate based on two different types of feedback. Forexample, the control loop may switch from a speed control configurationto electrical current limiting control configuration when the actuatorsystem is operating under relatively high strain. Additionally, in otherversions, open loop control may be employed for certain movements of thepatient support surface 14, such as when the speed of the motor of theactuator 53 is being ramped up (see ramping in FIG. 5) when moving thepatient support surface 14. Such open loop control of the speed may helpto prevent oscillations in speed due to errors caused by friction orother factors.

Referring to FIG. 5, a current cycle of movement of the patient supportsurface 14 is shown. As the controller 70 operates the actuator systemto move the patient support surface 14 though successive positions inthe current cycle, the controller 70 continuously monitors the currentvalues of the movement parameter (e.g., sensed RPM) and compares thecurrent values to the desired values (e.g., desired RPM) to determineerrors between the current values and the desired values to determinewhether frictional load events have occurred (i.e., when errors are notwithin the allowable error threshold) so that an error profile isestablished relative to the positions of the patient support surface 14.Using the process set forth below, the controller 70 identifies themaximum errors (Step 1), logs those maximum errors in memory (Step 2),and later merges those maximum errors with previously stored maximumerrors to update the error profile associated with movement of thepatient support surface 14 over time (Step 3). The updated error profilein Step 3 illustrates that errors are accumulating at two positions,which may indicate that persistent frictional loads are present when theactuator system moves the patient support surface 14 through thosepositions. Accordingly, in a next cycle, i.e., when the actuator systemis operated to move through one or more of those same positions again,the controller 70 may adjust operation of the actuator system tocompensate for the frictional loads.

Referring to FIG. 6, one exemplary method of detecting the maximumerrors is shown. In this routine, the error calculated by comparing thedesired value to the actual value is first evaluated in step 100 todetermine whether the error is outside the allowable error threshold,e.g., outside an acceptable range, which indicates that a frictionalload event has occurred. If the error is outside the acceptable range,then the routine proceeds to step 102 to determine whether an error flagis currently active, such as by being set in a prior iteration. If theerror flag is currently active, then the controller proceeds to step 104and compares the instant error to the prior maximum error calculated(since the same error flag was initially set) to determine if theinstant error is greater than the prior maximum error. If the instanterror is greater than the prior maximum error, then the instant error isupdated to become the maximum error and is associated with the currentsensed position of the patient support surface 14 in step 106, i.e., anew maximum error is thus identified by the controller 70. If the errorflag was not already set to active, then the error flag is set in step108 and the controller 70 then proceeds to step 106 to set the instanterror to become the maximum error, since it's the first errorencountered, and is thus the maximum error. If the error determined inthe control loop is not outside of the acceptable range, then in step110 the controller 70 determines if the error flag is still active. Ifthe error flag is not currently active, then the routine is completed.If the error flag is still active, then in step 112 the controller 70clears/inactivates the error flag and logs the maximum error and theassociated sensed position of the patient support surface 14 determinedin step 106 into an error log in memory.

The controller 70 is focused on identifying maximum errors in a sequenceof errors that fall outside the allowable error threshold. Referringback to FIG. 5, four errors E1, E2, E3, E4 are shown as falling outsideof the allowable error threshold. However, only error E2 and error E4are ultimately logged as maximum errors in the routine of FIG. 6. Usingthe sequence of errors E1, E2, E3 as an example, when the routine ofFIG. 6 first analyzes error E1, the error flag is not currently active,as the prior errors were within the allowable error threshold. So, instep 108, the error flag is set to active, and in step 106 error E1 isupdated to be the maximum error. In the next iteration, the routine ofFIG. 6 evaluates error E2. Since the error flag is already active, theroutine proceeds to step 104 where the controller 70 evaluates whetherE2 is the new maximum error in the present sequence in which the errorflag is active. Recall that the error flag was not active in theiteration before error E1 was evaluated, so error E2 is compared only toerror E1, and since error E2 is larger, it is now updated to be themaximum error. Error E3 is similarly evaluated by comparing to errors E1and E2 in step 104, but since E3 is smaller than E2, E2 remains as themaximum error. In the next iteration of the control loop and the nextassociated iteration of the routine of FIG. 6, the next error E5 fallswithin the allowable error threshold (e.g., within the acceptable range)and, since the error flag is still active, the routine proceeds to step112 in which the error flag is cleared and the maximum error, error E2is logged in the error log. In other embodiments, the controller 70 mayadjust operation of the actuator system for all errors that fall outsidethe allowable error threshold, instead of adjusting for only the maximumerror in a sequence of errors. The routine of FIG. 6 may run at everyiteration of the control loop of FIG. 4, or every n^(th) iteration, ofthe control loop of FIG. 4, where n is suitable to identify frictionalload events as discussed below.

In some embodiments, the controller 70 may determine whether the instanterror exceeds an alarm threshold, and if so, may cease operation of theactuator system altogether and provide an error alarm to the user, whichmay suggest that service should be called to repair the patient supportapparatus 10. The instant error may exceed the alarm threshold when thejoints are broken or the actuator system is malfunctioning beyond merefrictional load events. The user may be notified of the instant errorexceeding the alarm threshold by any suitable indicator, includingvisual, audible, or haptic alarms.

Referring to FIG. 7, once a new maximum error is logged in the error login step 112, the controller 70 executes another routine to determine ifother, previously logged maximum errors occurred at the same or similarposition of the patient support surface 14. In other words, thecontroller 70 assesses whether multiple frictional load events occurredat the same position or a similar position of the patient supportsurface 14. Other, previously logged maximum errors/frictional eventsoccurred at a “similar” position if they occurred within a predeterminedthreshold range or distance of the position of the patient supportsurface 14 sensed when the new maximum error occurred. This isdetermined in step 114. If other previously logged maximum errors areassociated with the same or similar sensed position of the patientsupport surface 14, then the controller 70 averages the new maximumerror and the previously logged maximum error(s) and/or the associatedpositions of the patient support surface 114 to determine averages instep 116. Averaging algorithms or any suitable methods of manipulatingvalues to determine an average position and/or an average error levelmay be employed. If no previously logged errors occurred at the same orsimilar position, then a new maximum error is logged in step 118. Itshould be appreciated that the number of positions for which thecontroller 70 is analyzing errors may be finite, and comprise apredetermined number of discrete positions (e.g., low, mid1, mid2, mid3,mid 4, mid5 . . . high).

Referring to FIG. 8, the controller 70 is configured to compensate forlogged maximum errors (i.e., frictional load events) in an erroradjustment routine that operates at each iteration of the control loop,or as desired, such as every n^(th) iteration. The purpose of thisroutine is to adjust operation of the actuator system to account forfrictional loads in subsequent cycles of movement, i.e., when thepatient support surface 14 returns to the same position(s) (in its nextcycle) at which the frictional loads occurred in previous cycles. Insteps 120 and 122, the controller 70 first determines whether thepatient support surface 14 is within a predefined distance of a positionat which a maximum error occurred and whether the number of maximumerrors logged for that position over a plurality of cycles exceed apredefined threshold number. The predefined distance and thresholdnumber may be configurable and can be configured/set duringmanufacturing or by a user. The controller 70 may comprise a counter tocount the number of maximum errors that occur at each position of thepatient support surface 14.

If the present position of the patient support surface 14 is within thepredefined distance of a position associated with one or more maximumerrors and the number of maximum errors logged at that position meets orexceeds the predefined threshold number, then the controller 70 proceedsto step 124 to determine how much to adjust operation of the actuatorsystem. Such adjustment may comprise adjusting the desired value (e.g.,motor RPM) used for the control loop of FIG. 4 to account for theanticipated frictional loads. For example, the controller 70 mayincrease the motor RPM by an amount that corresponds to the distanceremaining to reach the position associated with the logged maximumerror(s), e.g., if within 1 inch, then the motor RPM may be increased by10%, if within 0.1 inches, then the motor RPM may be increased by 20%and so on, such that the adjustment occurs in a ramped manner over apredetermined period of time as indicated in step 126. The controller 70may also gradually ramp down adjustments back to the original desiredvalue (e.g., motor RPM) for subsequent iterations of the control loopafter the position associated with the frictional load events has beenpassed. The controller 70 utilizes the adjusted desired values in thecontrol loop of FIG. 4. Any adjustments made to the desired value (e.g.,increases to motor RPM) to compensate for frictional loads may be addedto the regularly measured error in step 128 so that the control systemmaintains the adjustment at that particular position. Otherwise, if theerror (e.g., error E2) falls below the allowable error threshold as aresult of the adjustment, the controller 70 may fail to compensate againin the next cycle, i.e., when the same position is reached next time.

Still referring to FIG. 8, the controller 70 is further configured toassess whether or not the previously logged maximum errors weretemporary and/or have already been corrected. In other words,occasionally, a maximum error will be logged to indicate a frictionalload event, but that frictional load event may be the result of atemporary load on the patient support apparatus 10, or may have beencorrected, such as by a service call or by the user. For example, if thepatient support surface 14 was inadvertently trapped underneath a bumperof an ambulance during lifting, and the actuator system was temporarilyunable to lift the patient support surface until the user pulled thepatient support apparatus 10 away from the bumper, that would be loggedas a maximum error/frictional load event, but one that would not likelyre-occur in all subsequent cycles of operation. As another example, if ajoint is filled with dirt and debris/residue that causes maximumerrors/frictional load events for a few cycles (e.g., less than thepredefined threshold number), but that joint is then cleaned, maximumerrors/frictional load events may not occur in subsequent cycles. As aresult, the controller 70 monitors movement of the patient supportsurface 14 and notes when the patient support surface 14 passespositions at which maximum errors were logged in prior cycles, but notin the instant cycle. The controller 70 also uses a counter to count thenumber of times that the same position is passed without logging anothermaximum error. In step 130, if the counter indicates that the positionhas been passed a predefined number of times without logging anothermaximum error, i.e., a predefined skipped error threshold, then thecontroller 70 is configured, in step 132, to remove one of the loggedmaximum errors from the error log in response to the frictional loadbeing absent in the instant cycle, i.e., a skipped event. The predefinedskipped error threshold may be 1, 2, 3, or more skipped events, or maybe the same as the predefined threshold number mentioned above fortriggering adjustment of the actuator system. In step 134, thecontroller 70 compares the instant count of skipped events to theinstant count of maximum errors logged for the position being analyzed.If the number of skipped events is equal to the number of maximum errorsthat were logged for that position, then the position is consideredcleared and free of frictional loads and associated maximum errors—andthus has “zero count” errors. In this case, all maximum errors loggedfor that position are removed from the error log and the error log isthereby cleared for that position.

Instead of removing errors in the error adjustment routine of FIG. 8,the controller 70 may conduct separate “clean-up” routines, such asduring boot-up of the controller 70, or even periodically, in which thecontroller 70 analyzes the error log to see how many maximum errors werelogged for each position, and further checks how many skipped eventswere logged for the same positions (i.e., how many times each positionwas passed free of any maximum errors being logged). The number ofmaximum errors and the number of skipped events are compared for eachposition and the controller 70 clears the error log for any positions inwhich the skipped events are equal to or greater than the number ofmaximum errors.

A flowchart of the basic steps carried out by the controller 70 areshown in FIG. 9. In step 200, the controller 70 operates the actuatorsystem to move the patient support surface 14 and, in step 202, thecontroller 70 senses changes in position of the patient support surface14 over time. The controller 70 then, in step 204, identifies unexpectedfrictional loads on the actuator system during movement that may affectoperation of the actuator system. In step 206, the controller 70associates the frictional load with a sensed position of the patientsupport surface 14.

In some embodiments, after assembly of the components of a new patientsupport apparatus 10, it may be desirable to run an initial cycle ofmovement of the patient support surface 14 to confirm that nopost-assembly frictional load events occur, i.e., before the patientsupport apparatus 10 is shipped to an end user and/or before use by theend user. In this case, the errors between actual values and desiredvalues of one or more movement parameter can be compared to an initialerror threshold, which may be the same as the allowable error thresholdused during normal operation in the field as previously described (e.g.,see FIG. 5), or the initial error threshold could be different, such asmore stringent, i.e., much lower friction is allowed in a new patientsupport apparatus 10 fresh off the assembly line. If the new patientsupport apparatus 10 fails to stay within the initial error threshold,the patient support apparatus 10 may be identified as being unsuitablefor use and/or may need to be dismantled, reassembled, or the like untilit stays within the initial error threshold for the entire initialcycle.

It will be further appreciated that the terms “include,” “includes,” and“including” have the same meaning as the terms “comprise,” “comprises,”and “comprising.” Moreover, it will be appreciated that terms such as“first,” “second,” “third,” and the like are used herein todifferentiate certain structural features and components for thenon-limiting, illustrative purposes of clarity and consistency.

Several embodiments have been discussed in the foregoing description.However, the embodiments discussed herein are not intended to beexhaustive or limit the invention to any particular form. Theterminology which has been used is intended to be in the nature of wordsof description rather than of limitation. Many modifications andvariations are possible in light of the above teachings and theinvention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed is:
 1. A patient support apparatus comprising: a supportstructure comprising a base and a patient support surface to support apatient; an actuator system to facilitate movement of the patientsupport surface relative to a floor surface; one or more sensorsresponsive to changes in position of the patient support surface causedby the actuator system; and a controller operably coupled to the one ormore sensors and the actuator system, wherein the controller isconfigured to operate the actuator system to move the patient supportsurface and to monitor the movement of the patient support surface bysensing positions of the patient support surface over time, thecontroller being further configured to identify a frictional load eventon the actuator system during movement in a current cycle and associatethe frictional load event with a sensed position of the patient supportsurface in the current cycle.
 2. The patient support apparatus of claim1, wherein the controller is configured to identify the frictional loadevent on the actuator system by determining an error between a desiredvalue of a movement parameter and an actual value of a movementparameter.
 3. The patient support apparatus of claim 2, comprising oneor more feedback sensors coupled to the controller to determine theactual value of the movement parameter; and wherein the movementparameter comprises one or more of position, speed, and acceleration. 4.The patient support apparatus of claim 2, wherein the controller isconfigured to identify the frictional load event by comparing the errorto an allowable error threshold and determining that the error isoutside the allowable error threshold; and wherein the allowable errorthreshold comprises one or more of an acceptable error value and a rangeof acceptable error values.
 5. The patient support apparatus of claim 2,wherein the controller is configured to determine a second error in thecurrent cycle and compare the errors to identify a maximum error.
 6. Thepatient support apparatus of claim 5, wherein the controller isconfigured to log the maximum error in an error log and associate themaximum error with the sensed position of the patient support surface.7. The patient support apparatus of claim 6, wherein the controller isconfigured to compare the maximum error with a previously logged errorassociated with the sensed position of the patient support surface todetermine an average error for the sensed position.
 8. The patientsupport apparatus of claim 6, wherein the controller is configured toremove the maximum error from the error log in response to an absence ofa frictional load event on the actuator system at the sensed position inanother cycle, following the current cycle.
 9. The patient supportapparatus of claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to compensatefor the frictional load event by adjusting operation of the actuatorsystem in a next cycle, following the current cycle.
 10. The patientsupport apparatus of claim 9, wherein the controller comprises a counterto count a number of frictional load events that occur at the sensedposition of the patient support surface over a plurality of cycles, thecontroller being configured to compensate for the frictional load eventby adjusting operation of the actuator system in the next cycle if thenumber of frictional load events meets or exceeds a threshold number;wherein the controller is configured to determine, during the nextcycle, when the patient support surface is within a predefined distanceof the sensed position at which one or more frictional load eventsoccurred, and to begin adjusting operation of the actuator system whenthe patient support surface is within the predefined distance of thesensed position.
 11. The patient support apparatus of claim 9, whereinthe controller is configured to adjust operation of the actuator systemby adjusting the desired value of the movement parameter to a rampedvalue for a predetermined period of time and then returning to thedesired value.
 12. A method for identifying frictional loads on apatient support apparatus including a support structure having a baseand a patient support surface to support a patient, the patient supportapparatus further including an actuator system to facilitate movement ofthe patient support surface relative to a floor surface, one or moresensors responsive to changes in position of the patient support surfacecaused by the actuator system, and a controller operably connected tothe one or more sensors and the actuator system, the method comprisingthe steps of: operating the actuator system to move the patient supportsurface; sensing positions of the patient support surface over time;identifying a frictional load event on the actuator system duringmovement in a current cycle; and associating the frictional load eventwith a sensed position of the patient support surface in the currentcycle.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein identifying the frictionalload event on the actuator system comprises determining an error betweena desired value of a movement parameter and an actual value of amovement parameter.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein identifying thefrictional load event of the actuator system comprises comparing theerror to an allowable error threshold and determining that the errorexceeds or is outside the allowable error threshold.
 15. The method ofclaim 13, comprising determining a second error in the current cycle andcomparing the errors to identify a maximum error; and logging themaximum error in an error log and associating the maximum error with thesensed position of the patient support surface.
 16. The method of claim15, comprising comparing the maximum error with a previously loggederror associated with the sensed position of the patient support surfaceto determine a new error level for the sensed position.
 17. The methodof claim 15, comprising removing the maximum error from the error log inresponse to an absence of a frictional load event on the actuator systemat the sensed position in another cycle, following the current cycle.18. The method of claim 12, comprising compensating for the frictionalload event by adjusting operation of the actuator system in a nextcycle, following the current cycle; wherein adjusting operation of theactuator system comprises adjusting the desired value of the movementparameter to a ramped value for a predetermined period of time and thenreturning to the desired value.
 19. The method of claim 18, comprisingcounting a number of frictional load events that occur at the sensedposition of the patient support surface over a plurality of cycles andcompensating for the frictional load event by adjusting operation of theactuator system in the next cycle if the number of frictional loadevents meets or exceeds a threshold number; and determining, during thenext cycle, when the patient support surface is within a predefineddistance of the sensed position at which one or more frictional loadevents occurred, and adjusting operation of the actuator system when thepatient support surface is within the predefined distance of the sensedposition.
 20. The method of claim 13, comprising identifying apost-assembly frictional load event before shipping the patient supportapparatus to an end user by comparing the error to an initial errorthreshold and determining that the error is outside the initial errorthreshold.